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20140713011669I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 · Prairie City, IA · July 13, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 13, 2014 · 06:56 local
Place
Prairie City, IA
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
1TRG
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N230DM
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44
Reported engine
Lycoming O-540-F1B5
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,800 total1,200 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N230DMRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R44S/N 0325 · Built 1997Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44Engine modelLycoming O-540-F1B5Reciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The airman was picking up the aircraft in knoxville, Iowa (oxv) after undergoing a repair with the intent of repositioning the aircraft to grinnell, Iowa (ggi) in order to begin aerial application work. The airman stated that he encountered ground fog after departure and climbed over it. When the airman arrived in the grinnell area there were no longer any breaks in the fog and he could not see the ground. Unable to land the airman contacted dsm approach to ask for assistance in order to find a place to land with better weather conditions. The controller was unable to radar identify the aircraft. The pilot stated to the controller that the aircraft's transponder might not be working after accepting the code. The controller was unable to initially see a primary target. The pilot was unable to tell the controller his altitude and stated that the altimeter might not be working.

At this point the aircraft was on top of the fog layer and the airman was unsure of his position and his altitude. Dsm approach could not identify the aircraft on radar. Using GPS applications on his smart phone the airman was able to provide dsm approach with his approximate position. The controller was able to give the airman suggested headings to the west with the intent that the aircraft would land at the dsm airport where weather conditions were vastly improved. Around 16 miles northeast of dsm in the Prairie City Iowa area the aircrafts low fuel light illuminated. The airman initiated an immediate decent through the fog layer using the attitude indicator for reference. The airman exited the fog layer and made an uneventful landing in a field near Prairie City, Iowa. There were no injuries or damage reported.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN WAS PICKING UP THE AIRCRAFT IN KNOXVILLE, IOWA (OXV) AFTER UNDERGOING A REPAIR WITH THE INTENT OF REPOSITIONING THE AIRCRAFT TO GRINNELL, IOWA (GGI) IN ORDER TO BEGIN AERIAL APPLICATION WORK. THE AIRMAN STATED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED GROUND FOG AFTER DEPARTURE AND CLIMBED OVER IT. WHEN THE AIRMAN ARRIVED IN THE GRINNELL AREA THERE WERE NO LONGER ANY BREAKS IN THE FOG AND HE COULD NOT SEE THE GROUND. UNABLE TO LAND THE AIRMAN CONTACTED DSM APPROACH TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE IN ORDER TO FIND A PLACE TO LAND WITH BETTER WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE CONTROLLER WAS UNABLE TO RADAR IDENTIFY THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED TO THE CONTROLLER THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S TRANSPONDER MIGHT NOT BE WORKING AFTER ACCEPTING THE CODE. THE CONTROLLER WAS UNABLE TO INITIALLY SEE A PRIMARY TARGET. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO TELL THE CONTROLLER HIS ALTITUDE AND STATED THAT THE ALTIMETER MIGHT NOT BE WORKING.

AT THIS POINT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON TOP OF THE FOG LAYER AND THE AIRMAN WAS UNSURE OF HIS POSITION AND HIS ALTITUDE. DSM APPROACH COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE AIRCRAFT ON RADAR. USING GPS APPLICATIONS ON HIS SMART PHONE THE AIRMAN WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE DSM APPROACH WITH HIS APPROXIMATE POSITION. THE CONTROLLER WAS ABLE TO GIVE THE AIRMAN SUGGESTED HEADINGS TO THE WEST WITH THE INTENT THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD LAND AT THE DSM AIRPORT WHERE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE VASTLY IMPROVED. AROUND 16 MILES NORTHEAST OF DSM IN THE PRAIRIE CITY IOWA AREA THE AIRCRAFTS LOW FUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE AIRMAN INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE DECENT THROUGH THE FOG LAYER USING THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR FOR REFERENCE. THE AIRMAN EXITED THE FOG LAYER AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING IN A FIELD NEAR PRAIRIE CITY, IOWA. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE REPORTED.